It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter. Earlier this month, Proctor, my hometown, voted in a school budget that included cutting a computer teacherís position and curriculum in favor of game design for the middle school and computer programming for high school.

While this may not seem like a very important topic to anyone outside of the small town of Proctor, this decision has broken the hearts of everyone who had the pleasure of being taught by Melissa Brooks.

For a little over a decade, Mrs. Brooks is the first person to teach you how to use the Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.) correctly. But after the first few weeks of getting to know her, as a student, you realize how truly special she is. She is the most caring, passionate, intelligent, kind person that you will ever meet. She puts 150 percent into every class she teaches.

In the two years that I was in her yearbook class, we as a group (including Mrs. Brooks) spent countless hours after school and occasional weekends perfecting the yearbook.

Itís not only the incredible teacher that the school will be losing, for anyone who has ever attended any after-school function for Proctor Jr./Sr. High School in the last 10-plus years, one face that is at almost every single event is Melissa Brooks. Why? Because she cares about her students as if they were her own children. She wants to be there for them during their successes, as well as their failures.

Almost every student she has taught has a special bond with her. That is one of the things that made growing up in Proctor so unique. The bond you have with your teachers that lasts a lifetime. Melissa Brooks is one of the true gems at Proctor.

I am so grateful that I had the experience of having this wonderful woman as a teacher. I wish the Proctor School Board would reconsider. They have cut one of the most amazing educators that they have. I wish you all the best in the future, Mrs. Brooks! You will truly be missed.